No Air
by MewIchigoZoey
Summary: There's so much magic when their two voices join together. He's not sure, but he has a feeling that if they have to sing another duet together, he won't be able to hold back anymore...Finchel
1. Chapter 1

_Hey all! I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who reviewed and or added my first Glee story "**Rambling**" to your favorites! It really put a smile on my face, and encouraged me to try another! So this time, the story is kinda told in Finn's perspective...it's not really that great but I still like it...I had the idea while listening to the Glee version of "No Air" (hence the title)...I really like getting into Finn's head- it's both fun and quite a challenge :) This will probably be a two parter, since I'm already working on the second part....please review and tell me what you think! Reviews inspire me to write more, and__ your reviews encourage me to use my free time to write, which ultimately means____ faster updates for you! _So please review? 83

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**No Air**

He can hardly believe how excited he is...about school. School of all things. He never liked school that much, too much work, too much pressure...and yet here he is, walking down the hallways, a small yet confident grin on his face. He's not sure what's up...maybe it's just that he's anxious for Glee club to start.

Since Mr. Schuester ran out the other day, this will be their first official rehearsal since their big win at Sectionals...He can hardly wait. Now that they've proven that they've got what it takes to win, no matter what the circumstances, rehearsals might be a little less stressful. That's what he'd like, at least...Football practice is tense enough, it'd be nice to be part of a club where the members _aren't_ constantly at each other's throats. Not that things wouldn't still be a little awkward, what with Quinn and Puck, and the baby that he still can't believe isn't his.

The baby...Finn's really not sure how to feel about her...Don't get him wrong. He's still really, really upset that his best friend would even THINK to sleep with his girlfriend...and it really pisses him off that she led him on to believe it was his child (she loaded so much unnecessary stress onto his shoulders it's a miracle he didn't go insane)...

No, he's more pissed at himself, for BELIEVING her story...C'mon, a hot tub?!..What was he thinking?! He really is dumb sometimes...but, he can't help it. Quinn was his girlfriend and he TRUSTED her...he had no reason not to when she said it was his kid...Still, he guesses he could have googled it...but he chose to be the trusting naive boyfriend instead...This is as much his fault as it is hers. Well, not really, but still, he could have gotten out of the situation long ago if he'd done research...something he's never been great at.

He remembers when he and Rachel Berry were partnered up for some project (he never cared much so he forgot what class)...She was willing to do the research and pretty much everything else, so he let her. At the time, he'd thought she was just helping him out, like a friend would do..but he'd come to realize her reasons for helping him ran deeper than friendship. Rachel may be an amazingly talented actress and performer...but he could always tell she was in love with him...It was hard to miss, from the way she looked at him during Glee rehearsals.

It had freaked him out in the beginning, to be honest, the way she watched him, stalking closer to him when they'd been singing that _Grease_ song...but over time, he'd gotten used to her antics, and was surprised to catch himself staring back at her. Had he known at the time what Quinn was doing behind his back, he might not have felt as...guilty.

Finn shakes his head a little, to clear his mind of all these thoughts. They're just making him feel depressed, and that's not how he wants to feel...He's happy right now, and he wants to stay that way, even if it only lasts until he gets into the choir room, and sees _them_ sitting together. He has a feeling if he sees that it'll be tough for him to remain in the same room...but...

His smile widens slightly. At least Rachel will be there...If nothing else, she's always there to comfort him. Rachel, his best buddy, his shoulder to cry on...Sadly, he's having a hard time seeing her as just that these days...not that he's ashamed of it...he's known there was something between them ever since the first time they kissed, in the auditorium..but he couldn't do anything about it at the time.

Now he can...and he plans to...He just doesn't know when..maybe after Glee or during, even...He's not sure, but he has a feeling that if they have to sing another duet together, he won't be able to hold back anymore. Which would be kinda embarrassing, with the other Gleeclubbers, and Mr. Schue watching (as well as Ms. Pillsbury, who seems to be spending a LOT of time with Mr. Schue and them lately)..but he doesn't really care. If it happens, it happens...

He doesn't have anymore time to think about it, though, because he's reached the door now. Finn takes a deep breath before turning the door handle and walking into the room, flashing a small smile at everyone else who's there. He's surprised, and secretly disappointed, however, because he doesn't see Rachel in the group. This is just plain weird, because she usually makes a point to be on time, early even. She once told him, "Tardiness is never a good thing if you want people to take you seriously." Yet here she is, late...Well, not completely late. Mr. Schue isn't here yet so Glee club hasn't officially started for the day.

He heaves a slight sigh and plops himself down in one of the two empty seats, trying hard to ignore Quinn and Puck, who seem to be getting along somewhat well today. He can't help but wonder if they're dating now...especially since Quinn moved out of his house and into Puck's, despite how disappointed his Mother was with him for not getting with a Jewish girl.

Finn shakes his head again. He has to snap out of it, stop paying attention to them! In order to distract himself, he glances around the room. He sees Tina, gazing longingly at Artie, who seems to be purposely avoiding even looking at her. What happened there?

He shrugs slightly and looks away. Mercedes and Kurt are locked deep in a hushed conversation, but he can hear Kurt's feminine voice buzzing on and on about this new sweater that he just has to get, because it's a certain style, and some famous queen wore it...and...

Finn feels his head starting to spin, so he stops listening in and glances down at his feet. They're cool and all, clad in...shoes...of some brand he never paid attention to since it was considered girly to know the brand of your shoes...He sighs. This is boring. Where's Rachel? Right about now, she'd be in the room, talking his ear off about some Broadway classic, or something along those lines. Even though he knows very little about the classics, he always loves hearing her talk...The way she gets all excited about everything, and her face lights up animatedly when she talks...It makes him feel warm inside..and happy. God, he sounds pathetic. He just saw her yesterday, and here he is missing her like she's been gone for a week! Pathetic!

He can't help it though...she's really special to him...He just never really realized HOW special until she came up and told him what nobody else had the courage to. He realizes she probably had some other intention behind telling him the baby wasn't his, but just the fact that she had the heart to tell him goes a long way with him. That and the way she began the whole thing with "When you care about someone, you can't sit around and watch them suffer when you know that you can do something about it"...

He knows for a fact she had his best interests in mind, before her own...No matter what she says. It kills him that she feels guilty for telling him (he overheard that from one of Kurt and Mercede's gossip sessions...so he's not 100% sure it's true, but he kinda believes it)...He's like, eternally grateful to her for telling him! It's freed him up to live his life the way he wants it...and....he's going to take a step towards doing just that soon.

He grins, as he notices that aside from Mr. Schue's seat, and the spinning chair Ms. Pillsbury uses, the only empty seat is the one beside him. It seems luck is on his side after all. Especially now that she's here.

He grins, wider than necessary as Rachel Berry walks through the door, in all her argyle and plaid glory. A frown is on her face, and he finds himself wishing he could wipe it away, back into a smile. He loves her smile...it makes him happy...It's strange, but she seems to have this indescribable control over his emotions nowadays. If she's happy, he's on cloud nine...but if she's sad, he feels like he's out in the pouring rain...and right now, her frown is doing just that.

He feels sad and bitter, and for once it's not anything to do with Puck or Quinn...He's guessing it has to do with that note she's holding in her hand. Whatever is on that simple sheet of paper...it's causing her to look very upset, and he in turn feels the same way...it feels even worse than the combination of losing the football game and getting dumped in the same day. What is on that stupid sheet of paper?!

He notices she hasn't even said hi to him, or looked in his direction, which is odd for her, and he feels slightly panicked. Could that note have something to do with him? She's being so...evasive...He decides to take the bull by the horns and speak first for once. "Hey, Rach, you just made it...Mr. Schue's not here yet."

She glances over at him and her frown worsens, causing him to feel like he's been kicked in the stomach as she quickly averts her gaze.

"Rachel?" Quinn looks up, catching Finn's shocked stare. Since when does she call her by her actual name? ..She must be trying to help him...which he appreciates, but he's not ready to forgive Quinn yet.

He notices she's glanced up now, and is looking over at them all.

"Hey, Rach? I saved you a seat." He motions to the empty chair beside him and flashes her what he hopes is a friendly smile. To his dismay, Rachel doesn't say anything, doesn't even look at him, as she slumps her shoulders and places the folded up piece of paper on top of the piano. Then, she exits the choir room in a quick, orderly fashion, not even bothering to say goodbye, or look at him, once more.

"Daaaaang, what'd you do to her?!" Mercedes demands, momentarily distracted from her talk with Kurt.

Finn looks up quickly, surprised to see that she's giving him a curious, yet accusatory look. "N-nothing...at least I don't think.." He frowns, shifting his gaze to the floor.

He's left with an empty feeling in his chest, and that kicked in the stomach feeling is getting worse, like he's being kicked repeatedly now. Why didn't she say anything? She wasn't even able to look at him...Did he do something wrong? Why won't she talk to him?! It's really bothering him...and now he feels like a loser. A big one.

Of all the times for her to be so evasive, it had to be the one day he was going to try and confront her, confront himself, his feelings for her...Could it maybe be a sign? Maybe, that he's not supposed to be with her? So much for luck being on his side.

He has this burning desire suddenly. He's got to know. What does that note say? It's sitting there, on the piano, and he swears it's mocking him. Mocking him because Rachel obviously only came to drop it off for Mr. Schue...she had no intention whatsoever of talking to him or anyone else.

He's sure Mr. Schue won't mind if he just takes a peek inside...Just one tiny peek. That should be enough to satisfy his curiosity, and hopefully explain Rachel's odd behavior...and it'll tell him if he's the reason behind her giving everyone in Glee the silent treatment.

He's just about to get up from his seat when the door opens and in walks Mr. Schuester, accompanied by the red headed guidance counselor, Ms. Pillsbury. She's here so much lately, he's wondering if they're not dating....but...Mr. Schue has a wife, right?...whatever. It's none of his business.

"Hey, guys, great to see you're all on ti-" Mr. Schuester breaks off and visibly tenses up slightly. "Where's Rachel?"

"She was here, but she left." Tina speaks up.

"Uh, she left a note for you, on the piano, Mr. Schue." Finn says quickly.

"Thanks, Finn." Mr. Schuester nods and walks over, picking up the neatly folded sheet of paper and unfolding it, reading its contents. After he finishes, he lets out a low whistle and shakes his head, his expression a mix between looking somewhat amused and slightly worried.

Finn's not sure why, but he finds himself waiting anxiously. Waiting for Mr. Schue to tell them the reason for the diva's shunning them this time. For him to say something that doesn't involve him, so he can stop thinking Rachel's refusal to stay is his fault. Waiting...He can't help the fact that a part of him is also waiting, _hoping_, for her to walk back through the door again, to come and sit beside him with that contagious grin on her face as she looks at him sweetly and breathes his name.

At long last the teacher speaks, but it's not what Finn wants to hear. "Ok, let's get to work, guys...Finn, Mercedes, please come here..."

Feeling slightly confused, Finn does as he's told, and before he knows what's going on, Mr. Schuester has handed him and Mercedes each their own sheet music, and he's beckoning them to begin singing. He frowns at the teacher, feeling betrayed. He's not supposed to sing with Mercedes, he's supposed to sing with Rachel!

There's so much magic when their two voices join together, and as much as he's trying, he just isn't feeling the emotion of the words he's singing to Merecedes and clearly from the look on her face, she's bored, unenthused to be singing with him. He should feel insulted by that, but in a way, he feels relieved, cause this means she won't get mad at him.

He stops singing and Mr. Schuester frowns at him. "What's the matter, Finn? Is something wrong?"

"Y-yeah..." Finn shuffles his feet nervously. "I'm sorry, Mr. Schue, Mercedes is really good and all, but I just can't..."

"He can't sing it." Kurt's soprano voice rings out, finishing his sentence for him. "Not without Rachel."

Finn can feel himself blushing a little now. Was it really that obvious that he missed singing with Rachel? Also, he's not positive, but Kurt sounded just a little bitter when he said that, about him not being able to sing the song without Rachel.

"Is that true, Finn?"

The quarterback gives a sheepish grin and nods his head slowly, looking down at his shoes which are suddenly very interesting to him. "Mercedes sings really good..but...I..." He breaks off, not sure how to say it like he hears it in his head.

"It's ok, Finn." Mr. Schuester cuts him off, giving him an understanding look. "I know until now I've only ever had you and Rachel sing together..so this is new to you...but you have to at least try..because Rachel's not coming today.."

"Wh-why..?" Finn asks, then wants to smack himself for sounding so devastated. Really...he sounds pathetic. So what if Rachel's not showing today? It's ok...really, it will be! His brain needs to shut up, it's telling him otherwise...because he's still afraid she's avoiding Glee because of HIM..

But then, God has mercy on him, and Mr. Schue says exactly what he needs to hear...well not the exact thing he had in mind, but either way it assures him that Rachel's absence isn't his fault.

"Because...Rachel has laryngitis."


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone! I'm back, and I must confess this is way sooner than I expected to be able to update this again xD See, I got a serious urge to finish this so I stayed up until nearly 2 AM writing...then I got up at 9 and went over the story once more to make additional changes...I can honestly say I only wanted to write this so fast because of everyone here who reviewed, and favorite this story...thanks so much everyone, for the nice reviews c: If it's not too much trouble, since I updated with the final part so soon, would you be wiling to review again and tell me what you thought of the end of the story? This has been a major challenge, writing in Finn's perspective....so please, any tips, suggestions, or whatever would be most appreciated (just not Flames)...Thank you, and enjoy, this is the final part of "No Air", once more...I have no plans to add onto this, because I believe I ended it at a good enough spot...Ok, rambling over now, enjoy! X3_

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**No Air (Part 2)  
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It's a huge relief to him, knowing Rachel is only staying away because of Laryngitis and not him (not that he knows what laryngitis is, but who cares?)...Knowing this, he's able to go on with his day as normal, and before he knows it, Glee club rehearsal is over for the day.

He's just getting his stuff together so he can leave, when Mr. Schue approaches him. "Finn?"

He turns around quickly, a surprised look on his face. "What is it, Mr. Schue?"

"I had a favor to ask you..." The teacher hands him a set of sheet music, and Finn realizes it's the song he sang with Mercedes earlier. "Can you take this to Rachel? She may have laryngitis, but...she's Rachel. She'll still want the chance to memorize the lyrics to the song, so she's ready to perform it when she recovers."

"Oh...sure, Mr. Schue." Finn wants to hug him right now. He really does. Because he just gave him something better to do than go home and get vaporized on Halo 3 (thanks to playing a video game while he's as distracted as he is) until dinner time.

Mr. Schuester smiles at him and merely nods, taking note of the undisguised excitement in his eyes as he turns to leave. "One more thing, Finn?"

Finn glances back over his shoulder, a glimmer of impatience in his eyes. "Yes?"

"...Go easy on her..."

Finn feels his face heat up slightly, and he nods quickly. "Of-of course, Mr. S...I-I mean, I'm just gonna drop the sheet music off and then leave! So see you later!"

Mr. Schuester watches as the jock bolts out of the room and shakes his head, a knowing smirk plastered on his face..

______

He can't believe that he's standing out here...Well, he can...but...it's just...so...odd to think that he's at Rachel Berry's HOUSE. He hasn't been here since the whole hairography thing when she dressed herself up in that weird cat woman suit...

At the time he had sworn to himself he wouldn't come here ever again...but then again..that was before he knew that the baby in Quinn's belly wasn't his, before he hated Puck, and left Glee for that short amount of time, and then came back only for things to still be awkward, and....he frowns and smacks himself as his thoughts begin to wander. Focus, man!

He can't help feeling nervous...Because despite what he told Mr. Schue earlier, he's not here to drop sheet music off. Well, he IS...but...he's not gonna leave right after...Not unless she makes him, and he's thinking, hoping she won't, cause he has something he has to say to her.

He takes a deep breath, then exhales and rings the doorbell, glancing around nervously as he waits. A few minutes later, still waiting for an answer, he rings the doorbell yet again, only to be disappointed again as nobody answers.

"C'mon, Rachel...answer!" He blushes as he realizes he just said what he was thinking out loud. He's kinda thankful she hasn't answered yet, he'd die if she'd heard him sound so desperate! He IS desperate...very...this is becoming apparent to him as he finds himself knocking on her door, pounding the wood with his large, balled up fists. "Rachel!"

He's desperate...he really is...he can't believe himself as he watches himself take out his cellphone and send her a text:

**are you there? It's Finn.**

Finn shakes his head and groans. What was he thinking?! She'll KNOW it's him texting her, just by his phone number...why did he sign it? He sighs. If he had a quarter for every time he's done something stupid he'd have...well....a lot of money, that's for sure...

He's so nervous, he nearly jumps out of his skin as his phone vibrates, and he pulls it out again, heart thumping wildly as he reads the text he just received.

**Yeah, I'm here...what do you need?**

At least she didn't make fun of him for signing his name on the text..he's relieved for that. He can still feel his heart pounding, wilder than before, as he texts back; **I'm kinda at your door..I have some sheet music for you from Mr. S**

He waits for a minute (though to him it feels like forever) and when his phone vibrates again, he flips it open with enough force to send it flying out of his grasp, hands trembling as he reads her response.

**Ok, be there in a second**

Just those six words make him panic, and he tries to maintain his cool as he hears movement inside, and the door opens to reveal Rachel, dressed in pale yellow pajamas with black polka dots, and a pair of fuzzy orange slippers. The colors remind him of an angry swarm of bees from some cartoon he used to watch, but he's not about to say that.

He realizes then that she's just staring at him, and discovers he's sweating a little. "Hey, Rachel." he gives a friendly grin, even though he's having a hard time keeping his teeth from chattering with what he's guessing is anxiety.

She returns his greeting with a mere nod, and a stiff smile, and he frowns, cause it's not her true smile. That's her "I'm happy to see you but you really shouldn't be here" smile. Up until now she's only ever given him that smile when he tried to talk to her after he pulled that stunt with her at the bowling alley to get her back in Glee...or whenever he brought up Quinn. He can't imagine why she'd be using it now, so he decides to ask...carefully of course...cause Rachel's not one to hold back if she's pissed, and he really doesn't wanna make her mad.

"Hey, uh...are you..you know...ok...?" He stammers, then grimaces at himself. Smooth, Finn..real smooth! He frowns as she just nods. "Then why aren't you talking...?"

Rachel slaps her forehead with the palm of her hand and for a minute he has a feeling he's going to be next. "Didn't he tell you?" She whispers, and he frowns.

"Tell me what? Why are you whispering?"

The look she gives him next makes him feel like the biggest idiot on earth. What's going on? What'd he miss?!

"Finn, I have laryngitis." she whispers softly.

"So..." he pauses, not really understanding how that has anything to do with her voice. "Is that why you're in pajamas?" He flushes as she shakes her head, cringing as she lets out a hoarse laugh. What happened to her voice?!

"Rach, your voice...it's...!"

"Gone...I know." She whispers, rolling her eyes at him, choosing to ignore his previous question involving her pajamas. She folds her arms tightly across her chest and tries to look unamused. "Finn, that's what laryngitis does...it makes your throat ache and your voice goes away..." she smirks at him, and he can tell that she wants to laugh at him for being so dense...but she doesn't and he's grateful for that. "You honestly weren't aware of that?"

Finn stares at her, a dumbfounded look on his face as he struggles to form a sentence. God, she looks so pretty when she's making fun of him...and when she smiles like that...and...well, actually, she just looks pretty all the time...Anyways! It's distracting, and makes it hard to think of an actual response.

"Uh...not really...no...see..I've never...um...never heard..of..you know...laryngitis.." he trails off and looks away, embarrassed. Well, at least that explains why she was giving all of Glee club the silent treatment earlier...

She giggles hoarsely again, and he can't help feeling stupider. Of course, laryngitis means you have no voice! Why ELSE would RACHEL of all people skip Glee?! He should have known all along! He'd thump himself in the head right now for being such a dunce if it weren't for the fact that she's watching him...oh god, she's looking at him with that expectant stare of hers..she must have said something while he was wishing he could die!

Trying not to panic, he reaches into his bag and pulls out her sheet music, quickly handing it to her. "Here's the sheet music from Mr. Schue. He said you could work on memorizing the lyrics until you get better, since you can't..." He trails off, feeling nervous again as he notices that she's staring him straight in the eye as always. Leave it to Rachel Berry to make him stumble and forget what he was saying!

Then he remembers, just like that! That's right, he was going to tell her the truth..but...he can't do it- not out here! "Um.." he clears his throat, and she looks at him again, so he does the best he can to maintain eye contact, despite how scared he is right now. "Can I...come inside for a minute..?"

She looks surprised, and he swears he can see some kind of hope in her eyes. Whatever he saw is gone in a flash as she gives a stiff nod and opens the door wider, stepping back for him to follow, which he does, and she leads him into the living room, placing her sheet music on a table.

"Now that we're inside, what is it that you want exactly, Finn?" she whispers.

He can just hear her saying it with her straightforward tone, a hopeful look on her face as she speaks. "Well..I...I need to tell you someth..." he breaks off, feeling awkward. "..You should sit down." he suggests, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently pushing her down onto the couch before she can object.

He can feel his heart pounding...he swears he can hear it too, and hopes Rachel can't. He's so nervous..He was proud of himself for coming here, and confronting his feelings, but now what's he supposed to do?!

Words have never been his thing, he's not a good speaker. At all. He remembers the time he had to give a motivational speech to his fellow football players. Shortest speech ever, consisting of "Well...we're supposed to win...and they want us to win...so...let's just...do our best...Ok guys?"

It had worked...the guys seemed fired up to a point..but they still lost the big game...He still blames himself for that. Like he said, words have never been his strong suit. He's better at singing to be honest. Then it hits him, and he wants to slap himself for not thinking of it before. Of course, he'll SING it to her!

...But wait. He doesn't have anything prepared, or rehearsed...Panic sweeps over him for a minute, but before he can back out, he has an idea, hopefully one that will work. He looks at Rachel and gives her a big grin, trying to look happy rather than scared to death.

He takes a deep breath, and belts out the one song he knows by heart. _"I can't fight this feeling any longer, and yet I'm still afraid to let it flow, what started out as friendship has grown stronger, I only wish I had the strength to let it show.." _

He pauses, and his face flushes a little as he sees her staring inquisitively at him (then he wonders how he knows what "inquisitive" means...she must be rubbing off on him a little in areas.). She obviously knows the meaning behind the song, but is questioning whether that's what he's trying to tell her or not.

He decides to turn on his charm, the best he can. He flashes her a flirty grin and winks, or at least he hopes that was a wink, cause if he just blinked at her he's gonna feel like an even bigger idiot than he did when she told him what laryngitis means.

Forcing himself not to get caught up in thought, he presses on singing, pouring all his emotion into the words. _ "And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight, You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winters night, and I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might..." _

A quick glance back at her tells him that she is starting to take the hint, but doesn't appear fully convinced yet. She's probably worried he's trying to use her again like he did last time. Wanting to assure her that his intentions are pure, he takes a step forward, one hand over his heart (he makes sure it's over the right side of his chest to avoid her ridiculing him again as she did that time in the auditorium.) as he continues singing, slowly walking toward her.

"_And I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for, It's time to bring this ship into the shore and throw away the oars..Baby, I cant fight this feeling anymore.." _

By now he's made it to the couch, and he takes a seat beside her, gently taking one of her small, delicate hands in his, amazed at how perfect their hands fit together, like they were made to go together.

He smiles and stares straight into her eyes (secretly wondering just how it is that singing causes him to act so confidently with her) as he comes to the final chorus of the song.

"_And I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for, It's time to bring this ship into the shore and throw away the oars, forever...'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for..And if I have to crawl upon the floor, Come crushing through your door, Baby, I cant fight this feeling anymore..."_

His song having ended, Finn takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, trying to calm the butterflies that are once more fluttering in his stomach since he stopped singing. Wait...butterflies...? That makes him sound like a pansy...He doesn't have butterflies! He needs a more...manly bug name for his nervousness...like...grasshoppers! Yeah! Those are manly, right? He sure hopes so.

"Finn...?"

The hushed whisper of the brunette beside him snaps him out of his buggy thoughts, bringing him back to earth, and he looks at her worriedly. "Yeah..?"

"...With that song...were you...trying to say..something...?" she asks, sounding hesitant, reserved even.

Now it's him who slaps his forehead with the palm of his hand. She has to be kidding, she has to! After that bold performance of his, she STILL didn't get the message?! And she's supposed to be like...a genius!..At least, compared to him...but he's always thought she was super smart..like, scary smart even at times.

He sighs under his breath. He's gonna have to do it...if he wants her to get the message he's gonna have to. He just hopes laryngitis isn't contagious.

He leans in, gradually, and presses his lips against hers, gently, kissing her both softly and firmly at the same time. How he manages to do it that way, don't ask. He couldn't tell you. It just sorta happened like that. He can feel Rachel tense up, caught off guard, but seconds later she's responding, kissing him like her life depends on it.

He can't help thinking how nice it is, not to have Quinn to have to worry about, her reaction, and the consequences if she found out..chances are, she will, because if Finn has his way, Rachel will be his girlfriend, and they'll walk together in public...which means school. School means Quinn and everyone finding out..so..yeah.

Either way, he's hoping Rachel will agree to being his. Even though he doesn't deserve her, after the way he treated her...he still wants her. The idea of this makes him feel selfish..but...he really REALLY wants her...badly...It's ok to be selfish sometimes, right? Well, even if it isn't, he can't help the fact that he wants her more than anything at this moment.

It's not until they need air that he reluctantly breaks the kiss, feeling empty as soon as he pulls back. She's panting hard, he notices, a blush on his face as he realizes just how desperate he must have appeared to her...but she doesn't really look mad, and that's a good thing. It encourages him.

Not wanting to lose the slight bit of courage he's just found, he looks her straight in the eye, determination on his face. "Rach...there's something I have to tell you.."

"...Then say it.." she whispers after a brief hesitation. He swears he saw fear in her eyes but he ignores it, pushing forward before he loses his nerve.

" I love you." He blurts it out before he realizes it, and when he does, he feels his face heat up, but he doesn't back down. He's already said the hardest part of it all, he may as well finish. "Please...will you be with me, Rachel?" He's so nervous, he hopes it doesn't show on his face. Just like he hopes she can't hear the wild _thump-thump_ of his heart, which is literally going crazy right now.

"Finn...I...." Rachel pauses, seeming to think hard before continuing in that hushed, raspy voice of hers. "I'd love to...."

" Really?!" He can't help but pull her into a hug, a tight one. He's so happy he could cry...in fact, he thinks he's gonna. He blinks in confusion as he feels the petite girl pulling out of his embrace, and he frowns at her. "..Um...What's wrong...?"

"...I'd love to be your girlfriend, Finn...more than anything..." she pauses for a brief second. "...But I can't. I'm sorry."

Ok, now he knows he's gonna cry...but not for the same reason as before. It's gone. Quick as a flash, hard as a bullet; his joy's been robbed from him, and he can only watch, stunned, as his joy, his sunshine carefully scoots away, putting space between them. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, not sure what to say. "Wh-why?" He finally manages to sputter.

"Because..." Rachel stares at him for a minute, and he swears he can see sadness in her dark eyes for a split second before she forces it away, replacing it with something else. "..Finn Hudson, you know very well that I reciprocate the feelings you have for me...but I will NOT be a rebound." As she's speaking, her voice is slowly rising, and it's not quite as hoarse as it sounded before.

He's not sure what he finds more annoying. The fact that he's unsure of what "reciprocate" means, or the fact that she thinks he's planning on their relationship being a rebound from his previous one. Ok, so maybe it's only been close to a week since he dumped Quinn...but he's been falling hard for Rachel for quite some time now...and he tells her that, scooting closer to her as he does.

"What if you're only using me like the last time?!" she demands, voice going hoarse again from speaking rather than whispering, as she scoots all the way to the end of the couch.

He's getting pretty frustrated by now, so he scoots up to her, taking one of her hands in his as she jumps to her feet, and pulling her down into his lap, arms encircling her waist to keep her there. He tries not to pay attention to how good she feels there in his lap. He honestly tries to ignore how sweet her hair smells in his face, and how soft the skin on her neck looks.

"Rachel," his voice cracks as he speaks, and he curses himself mentally for sounding like such a wimp, "I know, I've taken advantage of you before, and I know I've lied to you, but....please...you have to believe what I'm saying NOW..." He turns her so she's facing him, "This isn't just a rebound thing..what I feel for you is REAL..."

He hopes she believes him, cause he just poured his heart and soul into that semi speech...and he's pretty proud of himself...it's definitely better than the motivational speech he gave his football team in the locker room...it blows that one out of the water! Despite that, he won't be happy at all unless she believes him.

"But, Finn...I can't..."

He frowns. He's pretty sure she believes him...he can see the look in her eyes. This is the way she used to look at him before all the baby drama, and he loves it. He misses those adoring stares she always gave him...finally he's able to process her words, and he tightens his grip on her slightly, pulling her so she's resting against his chest, the space between their faces very little now.

"What's going on, Rachel? You believe me, your eyes are betraying you...so why won't you say yes?" He pauses for a brief second, thinking over what her reasoning could possibly be. Then it hits him! "You...you're playing hard to get, aren't you..?" he smirks, seeing the alarm that appears in her eyes. It kinda reminds him of the faces he used to make whenever his mom caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. He fights back a laugh, he must be right about her then. "That's it, right? You're punishing me for taking so long to come after you by telling me no."

"Finn, let me go...my Dads will be home soon.." she struggles to pull away, looking very uncomfortable now. So uncomfortable, in fact, that he's positive he was right now.

He tightens his hold on her once more, bringing one hand to rest on her shoulders, the other wrapped firmly around her waist. "Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm prepared to hold on for as long as it takes to make you give in."

The red that creeps into her cheeks reminds him of berries, and he laughs to himself, thinking how ironic and cool it is that her last name is Berry, and her blush resembles the color of one.

"...Maybe I didn't know what I wanted before, but I do now, and it's you." He flashes her his best smile, and mentally pumps his fist as she slowly returns the smile, leaning in and brushing her lips against his for a brief second before pulling away, an even wider smile than before gracing her features. God, she's so cute when she smiles like that. It takes every ounce of his power not to just kiss her senseless!

"Ok, fine...you win..I'll be your girlfriend.." she pauses for a second. "..but now I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Wh-what?!" Finn stammers, a hurt look appearing on his face, replacing the grin that was there only seconds ago, "Wh-why?"

"Because..." She yawns slightly. "..I need to get to bed and rest so my vocals will be better by the next Glee rehearsal." She smiles at him again. "If you and I are expected to sing a duet together for rehearsal, I have to be perfect, as you know."

"Of course..." He nods in agreement, feeling relief flood through him. He didn't do anything wrong, she just wants some privacy, so she can go to sleep. He can understand that. After all, when he's sick all he wants to do is lay in bed and ignore everyone all day.

Don't get him wrong...if his girlfriend came to visit, he wouldn't ignore her...Quinn never came around when he got sick though. She texted him, and apologized for not coming, telling him she couldn't, because the Cheerios had a big competition next week, and Coach Sylvester wanted her to stay healthy.

He'd always been ok with her not coming, but he wouldn't deny that she'd made him feel like he wasn't as important to her as the Cheerios were..unless she wanted to make out- then she was always all over him.

Rachel, on the other hand...he has a feeling that dedicated as she is, she'll come by everyday to check on him, sick or not...and he likes the idea. The idea of seeing Rachel everyday...he likes it a lot.

Finn lets Rachel up and stands himself, grabbing his bag from the floor where he abandoned it earlier, then turns to look at the petite girl in front of him. "I promise you, Rach...things are gonna be different from now on..in Glee club, and at school."

Before he can catch himself, he's pressed his mouth to hers yet again. God, he really likes kissing her...a lot. It makes him happy in more ways than he cares to describe. And she's so freaking good at it, too, which makes it all the better.

After a minute or so of a soft embrace turned into an intense make out session, he pulls away, trying hard to envision that one driving lesson. _'Remember the mailman, remember the mailman..'_ He chants in his mind, cursing his body for reacting to her the way it does.

"...Do you...promise, Finn?" Rachel whispers breathlessly, causing him to do a double take.

He nods, a smile on his face as he whispers back, "..I'm not gonna let you slip away again. You'll see."

Then, seeing the need to rest in her eyes, he hugs her briefly, relishing the feeling of her warm body against his, before pulling back and heading to the door.

She follows, beaming in spite of how tired she is as she bids him farewell. "Good bye, Finn...I'll see you tomorrow...I'm hoping by then to have some of my voice back at least..."

He's beaming too, he realizes. It's just contagious when she's grinning, he grins as well. Like he said before. She has an odd hold, a control over his emotions. He wonders if she knows that. Knowing her, she just might...he wouldn't be surprised if she did know. "Good bye, Rach...I'll see you tomorrow...sleep tight, ok?"

"Of course," she continues to beam, "I'll sleep only the tightest, since you asked me to." she pecks him lightly on the cheek and then he's out the door, heading home with a goofy grin on his face.

He can't believe it. Did he really just get Rachel Berry for his girlfriend? Did they really just stand in her living room and make out? Well, he's pretty sure they did...he can't have dreamed it up..not with how much his lips are tingling. It must have really happened after all. He's so happy...he might just do a victory dance right now!..Wait, not now...people might see...he'll do it later...in the privacy of his bedroom.

He suddenly can't wait for tomorrow...he's so excited, he might even do his homework tonight, just to make time pass faster. Yeah, that's what he'll do. Then he'll go search MySpace until he finds Rachel's account, and download every song of hers to his iPod, so he can fall asleep listening to his love's sensational voice.

He has no way of knowing that come tomorrow morning, when he approaches her, he'll find that she thought their whole conversation, and his visit was nothing more than a blissful dream.


End file.
